Hammer



Patented Feb; 19,

'. HAM ER SanfordS; Vaughan-Oak Park, Ill., assignor to Vaughan & ,BushnellMfgflm,Chicago, 111., a i r g corporation of- Illinois Application April' 5', 1 934; Serial No. 713,083

' 3:01aims. v(c1. 254-26) The present invention relates generall-y to hem; mers for use by carpenters and others in driving nails and hammering other work. 7 More particu-;. larly, theinvention relates tothat typeof ham;

m'er which is known as a clawhammer andembodies in-addition to a wooden handle a head which is in the form of a one-piece forging and comprises an elongated central part having a longitudinal socket extending therethrough for receiving one end of the handle, an, arcuate or curved claw projecting upwardly and rearwardly from the front" end of the-handle-receiving, central 'part and v a substantially cylindrical, harnmering or nail driving member disposed beneath the front end ofsaid centralpart and connected,

to the latterby a reduced stem-like part.

In a hammer of this typefthefront face of h the handlerreceiving central: part is generally fiat and the front face of the claw joins andformsa curved continuation of thisflat face, In withdrawing a. nail by use of the claw; the hammer'is first placed so that the front face of theclaw fits against, or is disposedadjacent to, the work or part in which; the-nail is embedded and the head of the nailfis caught in the, cleft in theclaw, that is, between the two curved, claw-forming members, and'then I the. handle of: the hammer is swung in the direction of the hammering member so as to causegthe head to rockinlsuch manner, as to raisethe claw 3 andrthus withdraw thehaiLjWhen thehammer. is used to withdrawa-nail of medium size, such as a .tenpenny nail, the nail ,is but partway withdrawn when the handle reaches a vertical posi tion and the front face of the central part ofthe;

- head rests flatly against the work and it is necessary in order to Ieffectcomplete withdrawal- 6f. the'na il to swing the handle-further. During this further swing of 'the handle, vthehammering 'member engages the work and forms thefulc rum 40 -pointi for the head. Because this point. isremote from the claw andthe nail-is. bent to-a; certain extent as the result of rocking of the head; it. is necessary to exert a heavy pull in orderto complete the, nail-withdrawing operation; In practice -it has been found that during a heavy, pull of this character, that is, a pull on the handle. while the hammering member. forms a fulcrum.

for the head, the handleoftenbreaks at the point;

where it is joined orsecured to the'central part ofthehead. l f W I f One'fobject or the invention is 'to 'provide'faf claw hammer of the type under considerationin which theh'ead'is provided with a novel typeof fulcrum lug which is applied to the front face'of 55'v t e central portion f pr e. nea;at, the point of it place. l 4

'fIhe invention consists in the severalnovel feaattachment of thereducedstem-like part betweenthe hammering member and the handle- I receiving central part and operates, during use of thezclaw in withdrawing a nail of medium size, to;

fulcrum the head in such a manner that the nai'l 5 issubstantially fully withdrawn from thework; before thehammer-engaging member engages the work and there is litt1e, if any,likelihood of breakage of the handle at the point where the latter joinsor is secured l i 1 Another object of the invention is to provide alclaw hammer of the last mentioned character in which the fulcrum lug on the front'face of the handle-receiving central part ofthe head and at 15 the juncture between said central part and the reduced, stem-like part for connecting the hammering member has a fiat upper face which is flush with, and forms a continuation of the con- I tiguous, inner, socket-forming wallofthe cen- 29f tral part of the head. and forms agripping sur face for the extreme front end of. the handle when) the latter shrinks and it is necessary further to drive the handle into the socket in orderto secure A 1 further obj ect; of the invention is to provide aolaw hammer fthetype and character under consideration inwhichthe fulcrum lug has a flat, front facewhich serves, during removal of a nail byuse; of the, claw of the head, to prevent'the hammer from.swingingsidewaysjand thus draw-- ingthe nail outin a crooked or angular manner; A: Stl11f f 1lrthell :Qb CtrOf the invention is to provide a, hammer which is generally of new and improved construction and in which thejlug for fulcruming-the hammer head-when 'theclaw is usedzto withdraw a nail is so constructed and arranged that during rocking or swinging of the head. for nail-removing purposes the nail is drawn substantially in a straight path so that it does not' 40 bend and thehammering part of the'head is-precluded from denting or marring the work or partag-ainstwhich it is placed during the head-rocking Other objects of the invention and the various advantages and" characteristics of the present hammer construction'will be apparent from a con sideration ofthe following detailed description.

t'ures'which are hereinafter set forthand aremore particularly defined by claims at the conclusion. hereof. I h i Inthe drawing whichaccompanies and-formsa partof this specification or disclosure and inf to the central part ofjthe Figure 3 is a top view of the head of the hammer; and

' Figure 4 is a front view of the hammer head.

The hammer which forms the subject matter of the invention is a claw hammer. It is adapted for use in carpentry and consists of a head 5 and a wooden handle 6. V

- The head 5' is formed of a one-piece drop forging and consists of an elongated central part 7, a claw 8 and a hammering member 9. The central part 7 has substantially flat sides 10 and has extending longitudinally therethrough a socket 11 for the front end of the handle 6. This socket is rectangular in cross section, as sl'iown'in Figure 4 of the drawing, and consists of a pair of side walls 12, a bottom wall 13 and a top wall 14. The front end of the handle 6 is shaped to fit snugly in the socket 11 and is adapted to be driven into place and then looked against withdrawal from the socket by way of metal wedges 15. The latter are driven into the extreme front end of the handle and serve to spread the wood so that it grips firmly and securely the walls 12, 13 and 14. The handle-receiving central part 7 of the head embodies a front face 16 and the front end of the handle 6 terminates adjacent to, and so that it is flush with, this face.

The claw 8 is curved or arcuate and projects upwardly and rearwardly from the front end of the central part '7 of the head 5. It serves as an instrumenta'lity for removing nails and embodies a V-shaped cleft 17 in its outer end whereby a pair of claw-forming members 18 are formed as integralparts thereof. When a nail is removed by use of the claw, the head of the nail is gripped or held between these claw-forming members, as shown in Figure 1, and as well understood in the art. The front face of the claw 8 is in the form of a smooth, substantially quadrantal curve and joinsand forms a continuation of the fiat front face 16 of the handle-receiving central part 7. When a nail is to be withdrawn by the claw, the hammer is first placed so that the front face of the claw fits against, or is disposed adjacent to, the work or part in which the nail is embedded,

and the head of the nail is caught in the cleft 17' between the contiguous or opposed faces of the claw-members 18, and then the handle of the hammer, as well understood in the art, is swung in the direction of the hammering member 9 so as to cause the head to rock in such a manner as to raise the claw and thus withdraw the nail.

The hammering member9 is substantially cylindrical in conformation. It is disposed beneath the front end of the central part 7 of the head and is connected to the latter by a reduced stemlike part 19. The diameter of the hammering part 9 corresponds substantially to the width of the central part 7.

' In order to prevent the handle 6 from breaking at the central part 7 as the result of the hammering member 9 forming the fulcrum point of the head during removal of a nail with the claw 8, a fulcrum lug 20 is provided. This lug is formed as an integral part of the head 5 and extends across the front face 16 of the handle-receiving central part 7 at the point at which the stemlike part 19-joins the central part. When the claw 8 is used'to withdraw a nail, this lug, as shown in Figures 1 and 2, strikes or abuts against the work in which the nail is embedded and forms a fulcrum for the head whereby when the head is rocked for nail-withdrawing purposes, the heavy pull incident to the latter part of the nail-removing operation is accomplished while the lug forms the fulcrum point. As a result, the hammering member 9 is not brought into engagement with the work and hence the likelihood of breaking the handle at the point at which it is joined to the central part 7 as a result of a change in the fulcrum point of the head from the flat face 16 to the hammering member 9, is avoided. The top face of the fulcrum lug 20 is flat, as shown in Figure 2, and

is flush or coplanar with, and joins and forms,

a continuation of the bottom wall 13 of the handle-receiving socket 11. By forming the top face of the lug in this manner, a gripping surface for the extreme front end of the handle is afforded when the handle shrinks and it is necessary further to drive the handle into the socket in order further to drive-it in place. The front face of the lug is flat and extends at right angles to-the top face of the lug and parallel with the front face of the handle-receiving central part 7. By so forming the front face of the lug, the hammer cannot rock sidewise during the nailwithdrawing operation. The ends of the'lug are rounded so as to conform to the somewhat rounded front portions of the sides 10 of the central part '7. When the head of the hammer is of normal or standard size, a fulcrum lug of approximately of an inch in depth is employed, this depth having been found in practice to give the desired results as far as head fulcruming is concerned. Furthermore, a lug of this depth will not preclude or prevent the driving of nails in a corner or near a wall parallel to the direction inwhich a nail is driven. When the hammer is used to withdraw a nail, the claw 8, aspreviously pointed out, is placed against the work in which the nail is embedded and the head of the nail is caught in the cleft 17 between the claw-members 18. With the claw 8 in this position, the handle 6 extends at an acute angle with respect to the work. When the handle is raised to a vertical position, the head racks on the curved front face of the claw and the claw is raised so as to extract the nail in the manner shown in Figure 1. When the handle approaches a vertical position, the nail is withdrawn from the work and the fulcrum lug 20 is brought into abutting relation with the work and forms the fulcrum for'the head. During further swinging of the handle, the head fulcrums on the lug and complete withdrawal of the nail is effected without engagement of the hammering member 9 with the work. When a medium sized nail is withdrawn, the fulcrum lug 20, because of its location and size, results in the nail being withdrawn as the handle approaches a vertical position. As a result of this arrangement, there is little, if any, likelihood of the handle breaking at the socket 11 because the heavy pull incident to withdrawing the nail is. applied while the head fulcrums either on the claw or the'fulcrum lug.

The herein disclosed hammer is simple as far as construction is concerned, and has longer life than standard types of hammers'because of therouter face joined to and, forming a continuation fulcrum lug 20. a t

The invention is not to be understood as restricted to the details set. forth, since these may be modified within the scope of the appended claims, without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. 7

Having thus described the invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. As a new article of manufacture, a claw hammer including a head composed of an elongated central part having a fiat front face and substantially flat sides with slightly rounded front portions, and embodying a longitudinal, openended, handle-receiving socket, a nail-withdrawing claw projecting, upwardly and rearwardly from the front end of the central part and having a smooth, curved, outer face joined to and form'- ing a continuation, of the aforesaid flat face of the central part and a nail-driving member disposed beneath the front end of said central part and connectedto the latter bya stem part, and a comparatively small single lug extending completely across and aifixed to the front face of the central part of the head at the point of attach ment of the stem-like part and having the ends thereof curved conformably to and forming continuations of the rounded front portions of the sides of said central part, said lug being so shaped and formed that it serves when the 'claw' is used to withdraw a nail of medium size by gated central part having a flat front face anda longitudinal, open-ended, handle-receiving socket, a nail-withdrawing claw projecting upwardly and rearwardly from the front end of the central part and having a smooth, curved,

of the aforesaid flat face ofthe central part and a nail-driving member disposed'beneath the front end of said central part and. connected to'the latter by a stem part, and a comparatively small,

single lug with a fiat front face, extending across and formed integrally with the front face of the the nail is embedded as a fulcrum for the head during the latter part of the rocking stroke.

'- 3. As a new article of manufacture, a;claw

hammer comprising a handle, a metallic head; composed of an elongated central part provided with a flat front face and having extending longitudinally therethrough a substantially rectan-' gular socket for receiving with a drive fit the front end of the handle, a nail-withdrawing claw projecting upwardly and rearwardly from the front end of the central part and having a' smooth, curved, outer face joined to and forming a continuation of the aforesaid flat face, of the central part and a nail-driving member disposed beneath the front end of said central part and connected to the latter by a stem part, and a comparatively small lug extending completely across andaffixed to the front face of the central part of the head at the point of attachment of the stem-like part and serving when the claw is used to withdraw a nail of medium size by rocking the head over the work in whichthe nail is embedded as a fulcrumfor the headduring the latter part of the rocking stroke, said lug having 'a'flat top face that iscoplanar with and forms a continuation of the bottom wall of the socket in the central part and forms a gripping face for 'the extreme front end of the handle when the latter is driven slightly beyond the socket.

SANFORD S. VAUGHAN. 

